Where a Village is Tended (Pages 7 to 12)

Important outreach newsletter (from 1991) seeking ecovillage demonstration project/“tipping point” project (which would be a catalyst for community wide change). Sections of newsletter included: a) 51 point list: How modern agriculture-based villages can contribute to the continuity of peaceful human settlements b) brainstorming “ideagraph” containing 37 ideas for “Bringing Back Villages” c) aq 6 page arrangement of statistics, observations, traditional sayings, and proverbs d) an imaginary flyer inviting people to an ecovillage demonstration project like this writer was seeking e) an article this writer had published in a local newspaper as as an essay/commentary titled “A ‘Branching’ of American Culture”
The 16 page newsletter (and other shorter forms of outreach) was sent to environmental organizations, environmental magazines, peace organizations, sustainable agriculture organizations, individual organic farmers, etc, and I received more than 100 postmail responses. A selection of the responses is included in the Collected Writings section of my website (www.cpcsi.org).

In 1900, 608 of the U.S. population lived in the country,
and 409 lived in the city.
In 1910. 70t of af] bread consumed in the U.S. was baked at home
In 1925, the world population reached 2 bil1ion.
In 1940, 808 of the worldrs population lived in agriculturebased villages.
In 1958 , Bank Americard was introduceal.
In 1960 , 141 cities in the world had populations over I million.
In 1962 . the world population had tr:ipled since 1869.
In 1955 , 95C of all U.S. homes had a TV set. The avetage
U.S. home had the TV on for over 6 hours per day.
The average 16 year: old had seen 86,000 conmercials.
In I9'14 , there was approxinately 20,000 murders in the U.S.,
and 50,000 deaths resulting fr:om auto accidents.
rn 1975 , the worfd spent 5300 bill-ion
on arms.

Tn

1978, Xerox Corp. estimated that
75? of all informatlon avail-

able to humans had been developed in the last lwo decades.
Tn 1980, the U.S. Congress enacted
"Superfund" I egi sl aLi on.
since then, 3L,000 sites have
been evaluated. The average
cost of a long-term cl-eanup
is 525-30 mi IIion per si Le.
In cases where the original
pollulers are bankrupt or
cannot be found (or proved
liab1e ) , the I'Superfund"
can be used to pay the
entire costs.
In 1980, there was approximately
400,000 deaths caused by
cancer in the U. S.

In 1985, there i.7as 345 nuclear power pfants in 26 countlies.
In 1986, the world population reached 5 blllion.
In 1988, there were approximately 540 million registeled
cals, trucks, and buses in the wor1d. 348 of these
vehicles are registered in the U.S. over 40 million
vehicles are added to the nolld total every year.
In 1990. the enter.tainment industry in the u.S. generated
9500 billion in gloss sales,
Population projections estimate that by the year. 2000, there
will be 57 cities in the world with populations over
5 ni11ion, 25 of which are likely to have populations
over 10 ni l1ion.

I don't want the cheese...
"The efficiency
is equal to lhe ratio of the least available work
that would have done the job to the actual available
work used to do the job."
Happiness equals neeals satisfied divided by needs perceived.
civen these alependencies-- the economic system of the weallh
yielded by the production system? and the production
system on the resources provided by the ecosyslem_logicafly the economic system ought to conform to
the requ.irements of the production system, and the
production system to the requirements of the ecosysten.
The second l-aw of lhernodynamics efficlency:

tive amid concrete, plastic and computers can
easily forget how fundamentally our welt-being is
linked to the land,
As that' inner soft\dare changes, so does the outer screen
of civilization, and how we conduct our lives.
once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it's hard to get
it back in again.
Prosperity discovers vice, adversity virtue.
If you have to whisper it, better not say it.
I don't want the cheese, r just want to get out of the trap'
Those who

I{onesty ls the best policy.

Better shun the bait than struggfe on the hook.
Better to benal alown than to hit your head on the door jarnb.
Though you ride , renember the horse goes on foot.
BJt what about the " Lechnologica-L utopi a. . . . "
A plethora of terms and definiiions have sprouteal in the
ever: grolring fiterature on the subiect....

In the developed world, a large anount of wooal is used for:
paper. afmost 2000 million tons of pufp a year,
conipared with the developing nations consumption
of around 25 million tons.
The spell of words is by no means an enchantment lo which
only the intellectuaf is disposed.
There are many hairs to split on these topics-- and many
people who ar:e entertaineal by the spectacle of
other people trying to split them.
Humor: a cognitive, often unconscious experience involving
internal redefining of socioculturaf reality and
resultinq in a niirthful siate of mind.

Popular

Don't throw away tbe old bucket"

cultlvate
"That is !rel1 said," replied candide, "but lte nust
our garalen. "
a
Our nost serious hurdle is the lack of funding fol such
Project.
frequented
we most often go astray on a well-trodden and nuch
roaal.

blind as those who rfillfully shut thei! eyes'
Evervone is involved when it cones to deternining the rnarkets
that suPPlY the jobs '
road is easy, but people love to be
nain
the
to
KeeDj-nq
' sidetracked.
arm'
Two watelnelons cannot be hetd under the same
Evil- conduct is lhe root of rnisery'
not disclose'
there is no secret of the heart which our actions do
A kiss on the lips aloes not always touch the heart'
Better bteak your word than do wolse by keeping it'

There ale none so

Better on a sounal boat than a leaky shiP'
A lean agreenent is better than a fat sentence'
Home is where the heart is'
relationship
No other experielce can substitute for a healthy
nith the 1and.
good sense of the planet' you
ecological
nake
to
In oraler
-"
"'*-;";a .ir.
qood sense rocalty' You canrt
rf.tou-want tso keep
".oroli.:ul
sroballv'.
lii-r".iirv bv ihiniii;
planet' volr nust
the
frorn desirovins
;;;t-i;;;i'.;is
think locally.

Nothing should be bought that can be made o! done without.
He who buys rr'hat he does
he cannot buy.

Don't throri'

arl'ay

not need, will sometines need what

the old bucket until you kno\,v the new one

holds water.

It takes more than one root to grow an old tree.
The result proves the wisdom of the act.
A good exanple is the best sernon.
well done is better than well said.
Drive the na11 that will go.
If you rnust kick, kick to'^'ards the goal.
If you are nade of the right tiftber' you neeil not cale lihele
the chips fall.

An honest tree need not regret the loss

of rotten

branches.

to waterr bul you canrt make it drink.
such as are your habitual thoughts, so will- be the character
of your mind.
What you consialer worth cultivating. you will cultivate in
You can lead a horse

yourself.
one personis fantasy is a clream; two people sharing a fantasy

is realily.
Many hands rrrake light work.
one picture is worth a thousand words.
Be it ever so humbfe. therers no place like
A good appetite needs no sauce.